After the Sunset
by Rinoica
Summary: Sunset, a magical time of the day in which two lost souls found each other…but was it just to lose them again? One-chapter fic


*Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of its characters, nor I own "Bring Me to Life" from Evanescence. *

A/N: For a friend and a dream.

~*~*~*~

**_~ After the Sunset~_**

A bolt of lightning met the earth for a moment, illuminating her room.  She quickly glanced through the window while putting her shoes on.  For a short instant, she could see Garden through the rain, but then, the darkness covered everything again.  She stood up in a hurry and put on her jacket, running toward the hallway.  A terrific roar of thunder made her heart stop momentarily.  She paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  Finally she shut the door behind her and ran through the hall.  She took a black umbrella and reached for the knob.

"Where do you think you're going?"  

She heard a strict male voice behind her, one she feared to hear right now.  She closed her eyes once again. _~No…Why now? ~_

"Father, please. I'll be back soon." _~I don't need this now! I have to go!  …I'm already late. ~_

"You're not going anywhere today, haven't you seen the storm outside?" He reached for the doors in front of her and opened them.  She could see only rain, forming a grey cold curtain. Another bolt of lightning stroked the ground in the distance. 

"Look!" He continued, "Where could you go now?"  

Rinoa lowered her head. _~It really is frightening outside… but I have to go! ~ _

Her father closed the door and then gave her a look that almost seemed concerned. "You'll go out another day; it's not the end of the world if you stay at home today."

_~…There won't be another day…I have to go now! ~_ "It's really important." She gave him a pleading look.

"What's so important?" He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes.

"Never mind." She looked away from him. _~You wouldn't understand anyway. ~_

"Do you know how late it is?  You know you're not allowed to go out in this hour! You were trying to sneak out, weren't you?  There's no way you're going out today or the rest of your holidays!"

"You can't prohibit me to go out!"  She protested suddenly. 

"Just watch me.  Now, go to your room and I don't wanna hear another word from you, is that clear?" He yelled back, locked the door, and took the key. 

She threw the umbrella on the floor in protest and ran to her room while trying to hold her tears.  She slammed the door behind her as hard as she could, threw herself on the bed, and curled into a fetal position.  She hated him when he yelled at her; she felt so powerless.

_~I have to go! He's waiting for me! ~_

She still remembered the first time they met, a month ago.  She never dreamed to find what she found that day.

~*~*~*~

It was a late spring evening.  The sun was slowly disappearing in the sea, colouring it in enchanting shades of orange and gold.  Crickets were singing their monotonous song.  Rinoa was walking in the warm sand, enjoying the scene while the light breeze played with her dark hair.  She closed her deep brown eyes, listening to the calming sound of waves and wiped a solitary tear. 

Sunset was her favourite time of the day.  She loved to go for long walks down the beach, watching the sun going down.  There was nothing more relaxing after a stressful day.  And that's what that day was, _stressful_.  She had another fight with her father, it actually happened very often, but she still couldn't get used to it.  He was never happy.  Whatever she did was wrong or just not good enough.  She tried not to care, but it wasn't possible.  It hurt every time.  She hated the fact that he could make her cry, although she never let him see her tears.  She would run to her room, or out of the house, through the city and toward the sea. 

Only there in the safety of solitude would she let her tears fall. 

The worst part of it was a terrible feeling of loneliness.  There was no one there for her, no one she could talk to.  Sometimes, the only thing she longed for was a simple hug, but apparently, she was asking for too much.   

A solitary figure sitting on one big square stone at the bottom of a huge cliff caught her attention.  She studied him carefully from the distance.  He was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees.  He was tall, dressed in black jeans with a grey, black-sleeved t-shirt that covered his muscular chest.  His brown unruly hair was covering his eyes. There was something about him she couldn't name, something that drew her to him…

He said his name was Squall.  Squall, what a beautiful name!  At first he was silent, as he barely spoke a word or two if she asked him something.  She found out he's a student at Galbadia Garden, that the Garden was okay, and that he's not yet a SeeD.  After few really short answers and a "whatever" followed by silence here and there, she assumed she annoyed him, so she decided not to bother him anymore.  She just wanted to stand up and leave when he finally spoke.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"  

His eyes were fixed on the falling sun.  It actually seemed that he was trying to start a conversation.  She smiled to him. Obviously, he didn't want to talk about himself or his life, and she understood that.  They talked for hours that evening, about the sea, sunset, world, and stars.  She was surprised how easy was to talk with a person she had never met before.

~*~*~*~

Another clap of thunder woke her from her thoughts. Rinoa wiped her tears and humming a melody, she went toward the window.  As she opened it, cold wind mixed with raindrops stung her face.  She didn't mind.  The sting of the wind was nothing compared to the sting of reality.

She slowly closed the window, and took a seashell from the shelf that was standing next to the window, throwing herself back on the bed.  With the same melody carved in her mind, she put the seashell on her ear and started singing quietly. _  
   
_**"_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core  
__Where I've become so numb.._**** "_._**

~*~*~*~

"You know," Rinoa started, playing with a seashell that she'd picked up.  "When I was a child, I used to come here with my mother.  She told me that if you put a seashell on your ear, you can hear the music of the ocean.  It always reminds me of her and the way she used to sing me."  She said with obvious melancholy in her voice.  Rinoa realised she had never told this to anyone, yet she felt as if she could tell him anything.  He was practically a stranger, a person she had now seen for the second time in her life.

That day she went to the bottom of the cliff with a hidden hope that she'll see him again.  He never said he would come, nor did she ask him to, but there he was, sitting on the same rock as the day before.  She couldn't believe how happy she was just to see him there.  She sat next to him with a quiet _"hello"_ and after some time, without even realizing, she started talking about herself, a thing she almost never did.  She had a bad day and she started telling him about how depressing it is when people have a certain picture of you, but they never bother to check if their picture is true or false.  

His only answer was a simple, but sincere "I know."

They continued talking, until she noticed a seashell buried in the sand. He was looking at her as she picked it up in silence, and then she started talking.

"She died…"  Rinoa's eyes were lost in the distance, as she put the seashell on her ear.  "…My mother."

Squall looked at her after short silence.  "How old were you?"

"Five."  She whispered.

"I've never met my parents…I grew up in an orphanage."  He looked away from her, toward the falling sun. 

Rinoa looked at him. "Were you happy there?"

He picked a pebble and tossing it into the sea.  "I don't know…I guess I was."

"It must be hard to grow up alone…."  She whispered while continuing to hold the seashell. 

"I wasn't really alone, there was Matron… she was really kind.  And there were lots of children there, though I was never a really sociable type of person."  

He turned to face her, noticing she was still looking at him, silently asking him to go on.  Once again he looked toward the crimson sky and continued talking.  "There was a girl there who was older than the rest of us… I was really attached to her… She was my 'Sis'…but she left…"  

He stopped there, obviously not wanting to talk about it anymore.  They stood there in silence, until darkness had taken over the sky, when Rinoa had to return to her home.  With a short "see you" and a slight smile that he couldn't see, she left.

~*~*~*~

**"_...Without a soul,    
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold,   
Unitl you find it there and lead it back...home..._**** "_  
  
_******

She couldn't sing anymore, as the reality of those words made her cry again. Depressing, monotonous...the sound of rain was all she could hear.  Rinoa just wanted it to stop.  She kept asking herself 'why.'  Why did these things always happen to her?  Why did it have to rain today?  She only wanted to see him one more time.

_~I might never see him again…~_

The storm outside was getting even worse.  Rinoa couldn't stand the sound of raindrops anymore.  Another deafening explosion of thunder made her shiver.  She took her pillow, put it over her head, and continued singing quietly.

**"_Now that I know what I'm without    
You can't just leave me   
Breathe into me and make me real,  
...Bring me to life._**** "__**

~*~*~*~

Rinoa felt her heart beating faster as she saw him there again that evening.  She stopped, smiled, and then hurried toward him.  As soon as he heard her footsteps, he turned to face her.  There was something strange in him today.  As she sat next to him, his eyes turned toward the falling sun. 

"Hey."  She greeted quietly. 

"Hi."  He answered absentmindedly.

She continued observing him in silence.  He was deep within his own thoughts.  Something seemed to be bothering him, and he didn't know whether to tell her or not.  She would let him decide in silence. 

Rinoa watched the falling sun, one that was their faithful companion throughout the last week.  It was crimson that day, as if covered in blood. 

"I'm leaving in a month."  His strong voice woke her from her thoughts and slapped her back to reality. 

She suddenly turned toward him to confirm what she had just heard. 

"I thought…"  He started, but failed to continue.  She patiently looked at him.  He took a deep breath and turned to face her.  "I thought it'd be better if I told you now than wait any longer.  With time it would only be harder."

"Why?… Where?"  She barely muttered.

"I'm…moving to Balamb Garden to pass the SeeD exam, and then continue working there.  Then when I earn enough money, I'll go to Esthar.  I found out that my father could be living there."  He stopped for a moment.  "I just hope you can understand."  He added as if he was apologising.

And she did. Even to her own surprise, she did understand.

She never thought he could leave, she never thought these encounters would stop, she never actually thought about this.  She almost grew to depend on their evening meetings. It was something surreal, but still genuine, something that had helped her through the hardest moments in the last week.  She reminded herself daily that she'll see him in the evening and everything seemed brighter again.  

He hung his head, waiting for response.

"I do understand."  She gave him a small smile as he looked at her.  "It's ok, really…I'll…miss you…but maybe we'll meet again, right?  I mean…who knows where our life will lead us…maybe we'll meet in Esthar…" 

"Thank you." His smile left her frozen. "We will meet again…"  He repeated her words.

"Wanna go for a walk?"  She looked at him, thinking how he should smile more often.

Together they walked under the bright silver moon.  It was past midnight when she decided she should go home.  She knew her father would get upset…she should've already been at home, but right now she honestly didn't care.  She enjoyed Squall's company and their long, profound conversations.  She was never able to talk like this with anyone else.  Somehow they were able to finish each other's sentences.  Sometimes she would just open her mouth to say something, and then she'd hear him say the words before she could.  It was really strange, but she liked it.  She didn't like to talk about herself or her feelings, and a smile was her answer to everything, no matter how she was feeling.  Some people thought of her as silent, others as _'the always-happy'_ person; none of them knew her.  But he wasn't like other people, he understood her, sometimes even without words.  He understood her because he was like her. 

"Soul-twins" He once said, "We have the same souls."

"I really should go now."  She finally said looking at him. She could see that something was bothering him again.

"I'll miss you."  He said with his head down.

"Yea, I'll miss you too…"  She looked at him, waiting to hear what was upsetting him now.

"Maybe…"  He started, "Maybe it would be better if we stop this…"  He noticed hurt in her eyes and quickly continued.  "Don't get me wrong, it's only because I don't want to hurt you when I leave." 

She raised her sad eyes to him.  "We have less than a month, and after that we may never see each other again. We have to use this time the best that we can."

He gave her a small smile, and with it, erasing all the doubts she had. 

"Come."  He took her hand and embraced her as she came closer.

"Sweet dreams."  She whispered, enjoying the security that he gave her. Unwillingly, she broke the embrace.  "See you soon." 

"Sweet dreams to you too."

~*~*~*~

Suddenly, she stood up from the bed.  With determination in her eyes, she went toward her bedroom door locking it.  She stopped for a moment, closed her eyes, and tightly grasped her mother's ring that was resting on the delicate chain below her neck.  She took a deep breath, and went toward the window.  Once again the cold wind and raindrops stung her face.  She climbed on the window and jumped on the wet grass.  She looked around checking if someone had seen her, though she couldn't see anything but the rain.  

She started running.  Everything was grey.  Houses were rising from the mist like in a nightmare.  The sounds of her footsteps on the wet pavement were silenced by the echo of raindrops. She was running through the empty streets without looking around herself; the only thing that mattered to her right now was to see him one last time, to wish him luck and say goodbye.  One car stormed next to her, showering her already drenched clothes.  She hardly noticed it.   

~What if he isn't there?  Maybe he thinks I won't come because of the storm.  Maybe he came…but couldn't find me…I just want to see him one last time…Please be there. Please…~

The grass suddenly replaced the street below her shoes.  ~Just a little further... ~  She ran across a field, which when they had walked here together, was covered with silver flowers under the moonlight… But now, only muddy water covered the earth. 

Finally, she felt sand below her feet.  She stopped and looked around her, but couldn't see anything as the curtain of rain covered everything.  She continued running toward their rock, or at least where she thought it was.  Warm tears were falling down her cold, wet face. 

He was nowhere to be seen.

A dark shadow sitting on the rock made her forget everything.  As he stood up, she ran in his arms. 

"I knew you'd come."  He said as she ran into his open arms.  She didn't respond…there was no need for words.  Nothing mattered to her anymore when she felt his strong arms around her.  She didn't want this moment to end, ever. 

"I heard you crying."  He whispered into her ear.

"I don't want to lose you."  She sobbed quietly, tightening her grip. 

He broke the embrace and put his hands on her face, uselessly trying to wipe away tears and raindrops.  "Hey, look at me." 

She raised her eyes to meet his, trying to keep them open despite the rain. "You're not going to lose me.  Even if I'm far from you, I'll always be with you my angel."  She buried her head in his wet jacket, trying to stop crying.  "I love you…" He whispered. 

"I love you too."  She answered without raising her eyes.

"You're trembling."  Suddenly he noticed.  "You should go home, you'll catch a cold." 

"I don't care."  She hasn't even noticed the cold till now.

"Here, at least put this on."  He took off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders.

"What about you?"  She protested.

"I'm trained to be a SeeD, don't worry about me."  He answered with a smile. "But you really shouldn't stay in the rain. Come."  

He took her hand and led her under the cliff, and sat on the on the dry gold sand.  She sat right next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.  This was all she wanted, to be close to him.  He put his arm around her.

"How will I go on without you?" She whispered.  "Who'll be here to talk with me, console me, make me laugh?"

"You'll be fine, don't worry.  You're stronger than you think.  And you won't be alone, you're too special to be alone…and one day, we'll meet again. "

"You really think we'll meet again?"  She looked at him sadly.

"If we don't forget each other we will." 

"I'll never forget you." Another tear rolled down her cheek.

"And I'll never forget you."  He rested his head on her dark wet hair.  She closed her eyes once again, enjoying in the moment when her dreams were coming true.  As every dream, this one had to end too…and when you wake up, sunshine greets you with dark reality.  Calm, warm light welcomed her as she opened her eyes.  She heard someone whispering.

"Wake up angel." He gently shook her shoulder.  She looked at him, still confused.  He smiled.  "You fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful."

"When do you have to go?"  She whispered as the realisation of the world around her slowly came in.

"Pretty much now."  He looked at her with sadness in his eyes.  She bowed her head with a sigh.  He stood up and offered her his hand.  They walked toward the sea hand in hand. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?"  He stopped.  The sun was rising above the ocean, leaving silvery tracks on the surface, like a road leading toward heaven.  Nature was calm after the storm.  Everything seemed white and peaceful, as a seagull flew above them, welcoming the new day with its laugh. 

"It truly is." She smiled weakly, leaning toward him. Unconsciously she tightened her grip on his hand, not wanting to leave him. 

"I have to go now."  

He turned toward her, looking her in the eyes.  She wanted to disappear in those eyes, to get lost in them and never find the way back again.  She embraced him tightly, and he responded in the same way.  For one peaceful moment, which she feared to be the last one, they just tightly held each other.  He broke the embrace, almost tearing her heart.  No matter how much he was trying to suppress his emotions, she noticed a tear in the corner of his eye.  She wanted to tell him so many things, she knew this is her last opportunity to do that, but the words weren't coming.  The emotions she felt were too strong; she felt she would break down.

"We'll see each other again, right?"  She forced a smile. He nodded, unable to speak.  "I'll never forget you…and I'll miss you…" 

"I'll miss you too." The tear fell down his face, and he quickly wiped it away.  "I won't look back…I won't be able to…" 

Squall put his hand on her chin and left a kiss on her forehead.  "See you my angel." He whispered, quickly turned around and walked away.

Rinoa was watching him until she couldn't see him anymore.  All the emotions abandoned her, leaving her hollow and numb.  She wanted to cry, to let a piece of her sorrow fall with the tears, but she couldn't even cry.  She slowly walked toward their rock and leaned on it. Unconsciously she slid down, until she was sitting on the wet sand.  She was looking toward the sun, but couldn't see anything.  The sun was rising, growing brighter.  Another day had come; life was slowly waking around her. 

Another day, the first one without him…how many more will there be?

**"****Frozen inside without your touch, without your love  
Darling, only you are the life among the dead.****"******

~*~*~*~

A/N: I know this is strange and that I made Squall and Rinoa a little OOC, and I also added few things like that Galbadia Garden students have to pass the SeeD exam in Balamb, but I had to for the sake of the story, so …forgive me *puppy dog's eyes*

One big THANX  for Ashbear and Wayward!

Rinoica


End file.
